JP2016165856A - Apparatus and method for producing fiber-reinforced plastic - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an apparatus and a method for producing a fiber-reinforced plastic capable of achieving a positioning mechanism in a step of arranging a bulky base material and a thermoplastic resin and a take-out mechanism in a demolding step with a simple apparatus, when a thermoplastic FRP molding is subjected to heat and cool molding, and is molded into a shape (near net shape) having nearly a predetermined size.SOLUTION: An apparatus for producing a fiber-reinforced plastic has a pair of upper and lower dies. At least one die is structured so as to be capable of approaching the other die. The apparatus has a joint portion that is partially joined to a peripheral portion of at least one die of the upper and lower dies. A non-joint portion has a deformable frame component member.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a manufacturing apparatus and a manufacturing method for fiber reinforced plastic (hereinafter sometimes abbreviated as FRP), and in particular, when a thermoplastic FRP molded product is subjected to heat and cool molding, a bulky base material and a thermoplastic resin. The present invention relates to an apparatus and a method for manufacturing a fiber reinforced plastic in which the positioning mechanism in the arrangement step and the take-out mechanism in the demolding step can be realized with a simple device.

  As a manufacturing method of FRP, a reinforced fiber base material and a thermoplastic resin are arranged in a cavity formed from an upper mold and a lower mold, the mold is heated to melt the thermoplastic resin, and the mold is clamped by pressurizing the mold. A heat and cool method using an upper mold and a lower mold is known in which a reinforcing fiber base material is impregnated with a pressurized resin, and the impregnated resin is cooled and solidified to form an FRP molded product having a predetermined thickness. ing.

  As a technique for arranging a base material on a mold, a technique of performing positioning reference marking on both the mold and the base material has been proposed (for example, Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2). In the technique disclosed in Patent Literature 1, a positioning line is marked by hand with an oil marker pen on a preform made of dry cloth, and the reference line previously marked on the mold is aligned with the preform reference line. Can be positioned in the mold. In the technique disclosed in Patent Document 2, it is possible to reliably perform marking in a more stable state by using thread-like fibers for marking of the positioning line of the preform.

  As a technique for demolding an FRP molded product, a technique is known in which a molded product is taken out from the mold using an ejector pin or compressed air provided in the mold. (For example, Patent Document 3) In the technique disclosed in Patent Document 3, in addition to shortening the demolding time, the design surface of the molded body even if the molded body is thin or includes a sandwich structure. It will be possible to remove the mold without damaging it.

JP 2003-127157 A JP 2006-347133 A JP 2009-202440 A

  As disclosed in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2, in the technique of performing positioning reference marking on both the mold and the base material and aligning the reference line, it is necessary to align the reference line visually. For this reason, there are problems that it takes a lot of manufacturing time and labor, and that the marking is disturbed if the shape retention of the substrate is poor.

  Further, in the technique disclosed in Patent Document 3, it takes a lot of time and labor to clean around the ejector pins, and it is possible to make a heating mechanism, a cooling mechanism, and a demolding mechanism compatible within a limited mold. It was difficult.

  Therefore, the subject of the present invention is, in particular, a positioning mechanism in a process of arranging a bulky base material and a thermoplastic resin when a thermoplastic FRP molded product is heat and cool molded into a shape (near net shape) substantially according to a predetermined dimension. An object of the present invention is to provide a fiber-reinforced plastic manufacturing apparatus and manufacturing method in which the take-out mechanism in the demolding process can be established with a simple apparatus.

  In order to achieve the above object, the FRP manufacturing apparatus of the present invention employs the following configuration. That is, a fiber-reinforced plastic manufacturing apparatus comprising a pair of upper and lower molds, wherein at least one mold is configured to be close to the other mold, and a frame component member is provided at a peripheral portion of at least one of the upper and lower molds. The frame constituting member is an apparatus for manufacturing a fiber reinforced plastic, which includes a joint part that is partially joined to the peripheral part and a non-joint part that can be deformed other than the joint part.

  Moreover, in order to achieve the said subject, the manufacturing method of the fiber reinforced plastic of this invention employ | adopts the following structures. A frame component member is attached to the peripheral part of at least one of a pair of upper and lower molds configured such that at least one mold can approach the other mold, and the frame component member is partially joined to the peripheral part And a non-joint portion that can be deformed other than the joint portion, a reinforcing fiber base material is disposed inside the frame constituent member, and the non-joint portion is made close to the upper and lower molds by bringing the upper and lower molds close to each other. It is a manufacturing method of fiber reinforced plastic which makes a peripheral part contact, forms a cavity which positions the reinforced fiber base material, and makes the reinforced fiber base material impregnate a matrix resin.

  According to the present invention, when a thermoplastic FRP molded product is heat-and-cool molded to a near net shape, a positioning mechanism in a bulky base material and thermoplastic resin placement process and a take-out mechanism in a demolding process are simplified. It is possible to provide a manufacturing apparatus and a manufacturing method for fiber-reinforced plastic that can be established by the apparatus.

It is a cross-sectional schematic of the manufacturing apparatus of the fiber reinforced plastic which concerns on one embodiment of this invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view of a deformable frame and a lower mold, (b) a top view, and (c) a front view in the manufacturing apparatus shown in FIG. 1. In the method for producing a fiber reinforced plastic according to one embodiment of the present invention, (a) a state in which a lower mold and a deformable frame are prepared before arranging a reinforcing fiber base and a matrix resin, (b) a reinforcing fiber base 2 is a schematic perspective view showing a state in which the frame is disposed in the lower mold, (c) a state after molding with the upper mold and the lower mold being brought close to each other, and (d) a state in which the frame is deformed after molding. It is the (a) schematic perspective view of the manufacturing apparatus of the fiber reinforced plastic which concerns on another embodiment of this invention, (b) The expansion perspective view of a corner | angular part. It is a schematic perspective view of the manufacturing apparatus of the fiber reinforced plastic which concerns on another embodiment of this invention.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. However, the embodiments described below are merely examples of desirable embodiments of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to these embodiments.

  A first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1: has shown the schematic side view of the manufacturing apparatus of FRP which concerns on one embodiment of this invention. FIG. 2 shows a schematic diagram of a deformable frame and mold in the FRP manufacturing apparatus shown in FIG. FIG. 3 shows the position of the deformable frame and mold for each process in the FRP manufacturing method.

  1 and 2, an FRP manufacturing apparatus 8 includes an upper mold 1 having an elevating mechanism 7 and a heating / cooling mechanism 6, a lower mold 4 having a heating / cooling mechanism 6 and a deformable frame 3, and reinforcing fibers. The substrate 2 is configured.

  In the present invention, the lifting mechanism 7 is not particularly limited in its mechanism and form as long as the upper mold 1 and the lower mold 4 can be appropriately approached, pressurized, and separated. Among these, in order to exhibit the accuracy of operation and the applied pressure, the power source is preferably a fluid, and is preferably a hydraulic jack. Furthermore, when the area of the mold is large, it is more preferable to employ large area pressurization using a bladder and compressed air in order to reduce the cost of the entire apparatus.

  In the present invention, the heating and cooling mechanism 6 is not particularly limited in its mechanism and form as long as the reinforcing fiber substrate 2 can be appropriately heated and cooled. As the heating mechanism, for example, a heating wire, electromagnetic induction, a high-temperature fluid, a microwave, or the like can be used, and it is preferable to use a heating wire particularly as a simple and safe control device. In addition, as the cooling mechanism, for example, a low-temperature fluid can be used, and it is preferable to use water, particularly because it is easy to handle and has a high cooling capacity.

  In the present invention, the upper mold 1 and the lower mold 4 are not particularly limited in material and form as long as they have necessary strength and rigidity. Among them, in order to improve the accuracy of the molded product and the surface quality of the molded product, the material is desirably a metal, for example, preferably steel, and more preferably Invar from the viewpoint of thermal expansion. preferable. In this embodiment, the upper mold 1 is a planar plate, and the lower mold 4 is also a planar plate. When the upper mold 1 and the lower mold 4 are brought close to each other, the sectional shape of the cavity formed by the upper mold 1, the lower mold 4, and the deformable frame 3 becomes a quadrangle.

  In the present invention, the deformable frame 3 includes a joining portion 31 joined to the peripheral portion of the lower mold 4 and a deformable non-joining portion 32 as shown in FIG. The deformable frame 3 is not particularly limited in material and form as long as it has the necessary strength and rigidity. However, the position of the deformable frame 3 is larger than the thickness of the substrate when positioning the substrate. There is a material that generates a suitable warp in which the highest point is at a high position and the highest point of the deformable frame 3 can be higher than the thickness of the molded body during the substrate demolding process. desirable. As the material, a material that can be deformed so as to be separated from the peripheral portion of the lower die 4 as the upper die 1 and the lower die 4 are separated from each other is preferable. It is more preferable that For example, a leaf spring shape made of metal or a reinforced fiber composite material is preferable because it can be easily deformed according to the repulsive force of the spring. In addition, it is possible to control the warp by temperature using bimetal. The thickness of the deformable frame 3 is preferably equal to or slightly thinner than the thickness of the molded product to be obtained.

  In the present invention, the material and form of the reinforcing fiber base 2 are not particularly limited, but it is preferable to dispose a material that is pre-impregnated with a matrix resin for molding FRP. As the reinforcing fiber constituting the reinforcing fiber substrate, for example, carbon fiber, glass fiber, aramid fiber, Kevlar fiber and the like are preferably used. As the form of the reinforcing fiber, for example, woven fabric, knitted fabric, non-woven fabric, unidirectional base The material can be exemplified. Moreover, it is preferable that the reinforced fiber base material satisfy | fills the fiber orientation and fiber amount previously determined by design. By using the reinforcing fiber base according to the design, the strength and rigidity along the fiber orientation can be expressed more effectively. Moreover, interlayer particles can be dispersed on the surface of the reinforcing fiber base, and thermoplastic yarns can be mixed inside the reinforcing fiber base. Further, as the matrix resin, for example, a thermoplastic resin is preferable, and for example, nylon or PPS (polyphenylene sulfide) resin can be used.

  The method for manufacturing FRP according to the present invention will be described while paying attention to deformation of the deformable frame 3.

  First, the lower mold 4 is prepared. As shown to Fig.3 (a), before arrange | positioning the reinforced fiber base material 2, it is preferable that it exists in the position which the non-joining part 32 of the deformable frame 3 lifted. As a reference for positioning the reinforcing fiber base 2, the inner edge of the deformable frame 3 can be used. The deformable frame 3 is warped in the thickness direction of the reinforcing fiber base 2, and when positioning the bulky reinforcing fiber base 2 present at a position away from the surface of the lower mold 4 in the height direction, The inner edge of the deformable frame 3 can be used as a reference position. The deformable frame 3 and the lower mold 4 are desirably subjected to a tense separation process before the reinforcing fiber base 2 is arranged.

  Next, a state where the reinforcing fiber base material 2 is arranged on the lower mold 4 is shown in FIG. When placing the reinforcing fiber base 2 to reduce interference between the gripping tool such as a hand, a clamp or a robot hand and the deformable frame 3, and to facilitate access to the mold of the reinforcing fiber base 2 In addition, it is desirable to match the position of the reinforcing fiber base 2 with the position of the joint 31 of the deformable frame 3. The reinforcing fiber base 2 can be disposed so as to contact the inner edge of the deformable frame 3.

  Further, FIG. 3C shows a state in which the upper die 1 (not shown) is brought close to the lower die 4 to form the reinforcing fiber base 2 and then the upper die 1 is separated. A cavity can be formed by bringing the upper mold 1 close to the lower mold 4 and bringing the non-joining portion 32 of the deformable frame 3 into contact with the peripheral edges of the upper mold 3 and the lower mold 4. At this time, the upper mold 1 and the lower mold 4 and the surface of the deformable frame 3 come into contact with each other and stop, whereby the thickness of the molded product can be controlled by the thickness of the deformable frame 3. In addition, the thickness of the deformable frame 3 is slightly reduced with respect to the thickness of the molded product in order to give the reinforcing fiber base 2 sufficient pressurization so as to eliminate the internal voids. It is also possible to do. The offset amount of the thickness can be determined according to the viscosity of the resin used. After forming the cavity by bringing the upper mold 1 close to the lower mold 4, the reinforcing fiber base material can be sufficiently impregnated with the matrix resin by appropriately heating and pressing.

  Finally, FIG. 3D shows a state in which the reinforcing fiber base 2 is removed after molding. A molded product can be obtained by sufficiently impregnating the reinforcing fiber base material with the matrix resin. The upper mold 1 is separated from the lower mold 4, the non-joining portion 32 of the deformable frame 3 is separated from the periphery of the upper mold 1 and the lower mold 4 and the molded body, and the molded product is started from the separation point. Can be demolded.

  As described above, according to the FRP manufacturing apparatus and manufacturing method of the present invention, for example, when a thermoplastic FRP molded product is heat-and-cool molded, or an RTM (Resin Transfer Molding) impregnated with a thermosetting resin is cured. ) When molding, positioning in the placement process of the bulky reinforcing fiber base 2 and take-out in the demolding process are greatly improved in molding workability and productivity than before with a simple device configuration, and in a short time Can be manufactured in a while. Here, when the thermosetting resin is impregnated, if the reinforcing fiber base material is impregnated with pressure, the impregnation can be performed in a short time.

  In particular, when a thermoplastic resin is used as the matrix resin, the FRP molded product is taken out by heating and cooling the mold with a temperature control mechanism, so that the FRP molded product can be easily taken out without damaging it. It is possible to accurately arrange the reinforcing fiber base material for performing in a short time.

  On the other hand, it is also possible to form a preform in which the reinforcing fiber base 2 is shaped in advance in a complicated shape before impregnation with the matrix resin. Specifically, the interlayer particles dispersed on the surface of the reinforcing fiber base 2 or the thermoplastic yarn mixed inside the reinforcing fiber base 2 may be pressurized, heated and melted to form a preform. preferable. Such a preform is particularly preferably used for RTM molding.

  Further, as in the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, in the present invention, the positioning mechanism 33 may be provided on the deformable frame 3 and the lower mold 4. When forming the cavity by bringing the upper mold 1 and the lower mold 4 close to each other and bringing the non-joining portion 32 into contact with the peripheral edge portions of the upper mold 3 and the lower mold 4, the positioning mechanism 33 allows the shape of the cavity to be reproduced with high reproducibility. Can be determined. The shape of the positioning mechanism 33 is not particularly limited as long as it can be properly positioned, and has a part of a quadrangular pyramid or a cone that can exhibit a guide function even if the deformation of the non-joining portion 32 is somewhat deviated. It is desirable. Moreover, it is also a preferable aspect to make the end of the deformable frame 3 into a shape that can be abutted with another end.

  Moreover, like embodiment shown in FIG. 5, in this invention, the shape of the deformable frame 3 and the lower mold | type 4 is not specifically limited, For example, a polygon and the molding surface of the lower mold | type 4 are made into a curved surface. You can also.

  By using the FRP manufacturing apparatus and the manufacturing method thereof according to the present invention, it can be applied to the manufacture of virtually any FRP molded product, and in particular, can be suitably applied to the manufacture of members such as automobiles that require mass production. .

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Upper mold | type 2 Reinforcement fiber base material 3 Deformable frame 31 Joint part 32 Non-joint part 33 Positioning mechanism 4 Lower mold 5 Molded body 6 Heating / cooling mechanism 7 Lifting mechanism 8 Manufacturing apparatus

Claims (14)

An apparatus for manufacturing a fiber reinforced plastic comprising a pair of upper and lower molds, wherein at least one mold is configured to be proximate to the other mold, and a frame component member is attached to a peripheral portion of at least one of the upper and lower molds The frame component member is a fiber-reinforced plastic manufacturing apparatus, comprising: a joint part that is partially joined to the peripheral edge part; and a non-joint part that is deformable other than the joint part. The fiber reinforced plastic manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the upper and lower molds are brought close to each other, and the frame constituent member is brought into contact with a peripheral portion of the upper and lower molds to form a cavity. The said non-joining part is a manufacturing apparatus of the fiber reinforced plastics of Claim 1 or 2 deform | transformed so that it may space apart from the said peripheral part with separating the said up-and-down type | mold. The manufacturing apparatus of the fiber reinforced plastics in any one of Claims 1-3 in which the said frame structural member has a positioning mechanism. The manufacturing apparatus of the fiber reinforced plastics in any one of Claims 1-4 whose said frame structural member is a leaf | plate spring. The manufacturing apparatus of the fiber reinforced plastics in any one of Claims 1-5 whose said frame structural member is a bimetal. The manufacturing apparatus of the fiber reinforced plastics in any one of Claims 1-6 with which the said frame structural member is provided so that the whole peripheral part of at least one type | mold of the said up-and-down type | mold may be enclosed. A frame component member is attached to the peripheral part of at least one of a pair of upper and lower molds configured such that at least one mold can approach the other mold, and the frame component member is partially joined to the peripheral part And a non-joint portion that can be deformed other than the joint portion, a reinforcing fiber base material is disposed inside the frame constituent member, and the non-joint portion is made close to the upper and lower molds by bringing the upper and lower molds close to each other. A method for producing a fiber reinforced plastic, wherein a peripheral portion is brought into contact to form a cavity for positioning the reinforcing fiber substrate, and the reinforcing fiber substrate is impregnated with a matrix resin. The method for producing a fiber reinforced plastic according to claim 8, wherein after impregnating the matrix resin, the upper and lower molds are separated, the non-joining part is separated from the peripheral part, and the fiber reinforced plastic is removed. The method for producing a fiber-reinforced plastic according to claim 9, wherein the non-joint portion is a bimetal, and the upper and lower molds are heated in advance to deform the bimetal and contact the peripheral parts of the upper and lower molds. The method for producing a fiber-reinforced plastic according to any one of claims 8 to 10, wherein the matrix resin is a thermoplastic resin and is demolded after cooling. The fiber reinforced plastic according to any one of claims 8 to 10, wherein the matrix resin is a thermosetting resin, and the reinforcing fiber base material is impregnated with a pressurized matrix resin and then heated. Manufacturing method. The interlayer particles dispersed on the surface of the reinforcing fiber base or the thermoplastic yarn mixed in the reinforcing fiber base is pressurized, heated and melted to form a preform. The manufacturing method of the fiber reinforced plastic in any one. The manufacturing method of the fiber reinforced plastics in any one of Claims 8-13 which heats and cools with the temperature control mechanism provided in the metal mold | die.

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